PIANY MetroRAP: For the MVPs

Over 400 insurance professionals braved polar cold to attend PIANY’s MetroRAP on Jan. 29, 2026, at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel.

During the daylong event, attendees took advantage of valuable networking opportunities and gained valuable insights about artificial intelligence’s impact on the insurance industry. This event also provided attendees with some much-deserved time to enjoy themselves and support the insurance community they were a part of, such as honoring some of this year’s most dedicated and passionate insurance professionals. If there’s one lesson that can be taken from this year’s MetroRAP, it’s that every agent has the potential to be an MVP.

An exciting trade-show experience

Attendees were able to explore the packed trade show, meet a diverse range of vendors and form new connections with their peers. Participants voted for their favorite booth in the Best in (Trade) Show contest: This year’s winner was eTrackCoi—a company that offers tools to track insurance and certification for subcontractors. The booth featured a mannequin dressed as a construction worker, which eTrackCoi CEO Abraham Jaroslawitz affectionately referred to as a “partner” of his business.

Beyond the vendors and the goodies, the trade-show participants offered—like mugs and foam footballs—attendees could partake in the shoeshine booth, hot chocolate bar and professional headshot booth. MetroRAP isn’t just for business, it’s a memorable experience for insurance professionals to fully enjoy.

An unforgettable awards luncheon

This year’s keynote speaker was the former New York Giants Running Back Tiki Barber. Barber was one of the greatest players in the Giants franchise and the National Football League, being the only NFL player in history to achieve 10,000 rushing yards, 5,000 receiving yards and 1,000 return yards. When he retired from a legendary football career, Barber pivoted to a successful broadcasting career with NBC and is currently a co-host for the afternoon radio show Evan and Tiki.

In his speech, Barber linked his career to some of the struggles that many insurance professionals face in their day-to-day lives, like staying motivated in the face of failure, or how to stand out and avoid being “just a guy or girl.”

The recurring theme of Barber’s speech was opportunity. Barber said, “Opportunities are made: you have to create the door to walk through. I did that by listening to my coach and getting better at the game.”

He also noted opportunities have an unexpected, spontaneous quality to them. “You don’t know when ‘opportunity’ will make a chasm for you to run through.” That’s something important for insurance professionals to remember, that opportunities are made in the most unexpected circumstances—and can help you secure success.

After his speech, Barber did a Q&A with those in attendance, answering a range of questions from how he took out insurance on his own body when he started his football career, the future of CTE studies in American football and the Giant’s prospects in the 2026 football season. He felt a successful season for his former team would feature nine wins, and that next year could easily belong to them. Barber also stayed behind to sign memorabilia and take photographs with fans and sponsors for MetroRAP.

In addition to Barber’s motivational speech, the luncheon honored two insurance professionals who went above and beyond for their industry. Steven L. Diamond, the former president of the Simon Agency NY Inc., posthumously received the Distinguished Insurance Service award. This award is presented to individuals with a history of service to the American independent agency system and to PIANY—which Diamond embodied through his distinguished career.

Meryl Golden, president and CEO of Kingstone Insurance Co., received the Executive of the Year award for demonstrating strong working relationships with agents and brokers, and has exemplified a commitment to professionalism and service.

In her acceptance speech, Golden said, “Our relationship with independent agents is the bedrock of our business. We take great pride in being a stable presence in the market through recent turbulence and are pleased to have expanded our underwriting appetite to better meet your needs.”

“We are grateful for every policyholder you entrust to us and are dedicated to delivering exceptional service to you and your clients,” she continued. “I look forward to further strengthening our relationship in 2026!”

Educational insights on emerging technologies

This year’s education sessions at MetroRAP focused on the use of artificial intelligence in the insurance industry, including how agents can practically apply it in their day-to-day operations, and how policies are shaping themselves around emerging AI threats.

The two CE-approved panel discussions, Game Changer: Using AI to Become an Insurance MVP and Beyond the Firewall: Emerging Exposures in Cyber & AI, featured numerous industry experts who had extensive experience with AI.

The panelists of the former session were Scott Chirls, chief information officer of SterlingRisk; Matthew Hart, founder and CEO of Soter Analytics; Shiraz Saeed, senior vice president–product leader cyber & technology risk of ARC Excess & Surplus; and Andrew Shockey, vice president–risk management services of Philadelphia Insurance Cos.

The latter panelists included Michael Cavallaro, CEO of ARC Excess & Surplus; Daniel Toutoungi, cyber specialist of Corvus by Travelers; and Jason Curreri, general counsel and product & language expert of ElphaSecure. PIA Northeast’s Director of Government & Industry Affairs, Bradford Lachut, Esq., moderated both panels.

The morning Game Changer panel centered on practical applications of generative and agentic artificial intelligence in the workplace. Soter conducted live demonstrations of how AI can generate useable web interfaces, such as a QR code that links to your profile or businesses. And, there were discussions on how AI can be used to sift through vast quantities of insurance-related information and provide detailed summaries.

Of course, there were concerns about the efficacy of AI. One professional in the audience noted that when AI received information and was asked to repeatedly process it, its output differed each time. The panelists noted that “AI should be treated like an intern,” in that it can do the work that is asked of it, but it needs to be checked by the person who gave it the task.

The afternoon panel, Beyond the Firewall, changed the pace of the conversation on AI from some of its benefits to its hazards. The panel discussed some of the common ways that risks are being enhanced by these technologies, such as using deepfakes in social engineering. The panel also noted how the language in some cyber coverage policies feature exclusionary language with regards to AI. Overall, the panels combined provided a balanced picture of how artificial intelligence will shape the industry in the years to come.

Both panels were packed with insurance professionals—there were hardly any seats to spare. In addition, discussions of AI spread beyond the allotted time of each session. At the Keynote and Awards Lunch, some tables were engaging in passionate conversations about the ramifications of artificial intelligence on their industry.

Regardless of an agent’s stance on the technology, Joel Goldman of Starisks had this to say about on AI: “You need to learn how to use it. It’s coming whether you like it or not.”

Making connections in the Big Apple

Between the excitement of new technologies, industry MVPs, football stars and business solutions, agents were eager to engage in one of the popular activities of MetroRAP 2026: networking and making new friends. The New York Young Insurance Professionals MetroRAP Welcome Reception the night before MetroRAP packed the third floor of Connolly’s Restaurant and Pub in Times Square for a fun evening. The Sheraton in Times Square, from the trade-show floor to its hallways and conference rooms, was filled with the constant buzz of lively and spirited conversation.

In addition, this year’s MetroRAP was notable: For the first time, PIANY collaborated with several fellow insurance associations to expand access and engagement at MetroRAP. These associations included the:

• Council of Insurance Brokers of Greater NY,
• Federation of NY Insurance Professionals Inc.,
• Insurance Brokers Association of NY,
• Insurance Professionals Association of Long Island,
• Korean American Insurance and Finance Association,
• Latin Agents & Brokers Association,
• National African American Insurance Association New York Tri-State,
• National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, and
• Professional Insurance Wholesalers Association.

We’re grateful that these associations joined us in support of a stronger, more connected insurance community.

For one professional who attended the event, these connections created at events like these is why he keeps coming. The level of networking and community, to him, is “the most important” thing the conference can offer.

Thank you to our sponsors!

PIANY thanks everyone who was able to attend this year’s MetoRAP, as well as the generous sponsors who supported it:

AFCO Direct	FrontLine Restore LLC	Kingstone Insurance Co.
ALE Solutions	FTP Inc.	Lancer Insurance Co.
Amwins Access	GNY Insurance Cos.	Liberty Mutual | Safeco
Bridge Specialty Group	Green Metro Restoration	NEXT Insurance
Brooks Insurance Agency	Greene & Associates	Philadelphia Insurance Cos.
CNA	Highview National Insurance Co.	The Premins Co.
David J. Louie Inc.	IBANY	Seneca Insurance
Distinguished	Innovation Growth Partners Specialty LLC	Simon Agency
Eugene A. Bartow Insurance Agency	Interboro Insurance	Travelers
Excess Line Association of New York	Ironpeak	XS Brokers
Friedlander Group Inc.	Jencap Group

What’s on the horizon?

If you’re looking for more opportunities to network and learn with PIANY, mark your calendars for the PIANJ | PIANY Annual Conference June 7-9, 2026, at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, N.J. We look forward to seeing you there!

Watch your PIA publications for more details.